Cool Al’s

Posted by YAR23 Mar 2010No Comments

I like meat as much as, or more than, the next girl. In fact, I’ve been known to wrinkle my nose at the suggestion of a meat-free meal or restaurant (much the same way I wrinkle my nose about melons, which is probably the only food that grosses me out). So when I went to Cool Al’s (4654 McWillie Dr, Jackson), which is famous for its burgers, it took some high praise (and the fact that I wasn’t particularly hungry) to get me to try their veggie burger instead of a real burger. But the veggie burgers at Cool Al’s have won about as many awards as their burgers, so after maybe a little subconscious nose-wrinkling, I went with the West African veggie burger.

It was delicious, and definitely better than most veggie burgers I’ve had. It was slightly spicy and very flavorful. It had a nice crust on the outside (possibly from being deep fried), giving it some texture despite being a thick slab of mashed beans. It was fairly bean-y, though, and tasted like a veggie burger (albeit a very good one), so if you violently hate veggie burgers, this one may not convert you.

But I liked the West African enough that I had high hopes for their other signature veggie burger, the Jamaican. I got it on my very next trip to Cool Al’s (again, instead of a real burger). From a distance (and in this horrible photo) it looks surprisingly like a real burger, and is about as heavy as one. I mean, don’t expect to be tricked into thinking you are eating cow, but also don’t expect to be unsatisfied — and this one may convert even an avowed veggie-burger-hater. Not only is it large and dense, it also has a ton of flavor; it is savory, gingery and has a building spiciness that contrasts well with the sweetness of ketchup.

Cool Al’s also has award-winning fries and real burgers (which, after three trips to get veggie burgers, I still haven’t tried — seriously damaging my meat-eating creds, I know). They cook everything to order and the wait can be long, so call ahead if you’re in a hurry: (601) 713-3020.

Carpe Jackson does not issue ratings, but registered users can agree or disagree with our opinion. If there is significant user disagreement, we highly recommend that you review all of this post's comments, because, sometimes, we just don't know what we are talking about.

WordPress database error: [Table './carpejackson/wp_comments' is marked as crashed and should be repaired]SELECT * FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_post_ID = 742 AND comment_approved = '1' ORDER BY comment_date